La Contact De L'Amour
by SecondComing02
Summary: Shinomiya Kojirō. Inui Hinako. Two pillars of the Japanese culinary world. And yet two completely different individuals. Their high schooling experience was rough and by no means will their adulthood be easier. But will they find solace in the warm embrace of the other? Or will they wander the hazy wasteland of being a chef alone forevermore? (One-shot, Shinomiya x Hinako)


**Le Contact D'Amour**

 _Pairing: Shinomiya x Hinako_

"Oi, idiot. Come on, you want help with your paperwork or what?" Hinako snaps back to reality, her gaze returning to the unfinished report in front of her.

"Oh. Sorry, Shinomiya-senpai."

Shinomiya only sighs and shakes his head. "You know, you're a weird one, you are."

"Hey!" Instantly, Hinako perks up and puts on her cute act, ranting at the glasses wearing amateur chef.

Shinomiya only raises an eyebrow and glances back at the page.

"I'm a bit hungry. I'm going to find something to eat." He gets up from his seat and walks out of the office.

Quickly, he gets to work on a dish. Okay. Not much in the kitchen this time. Uh… Potatoes… Cream… Butter… Garlic… And some Crème fraîche. Okay. I can make a Gratin Dauphinoise out of this.

As he slices the potato into thin slices, his hands become a blur, whizzing through the vegetable as if it were paper. As he preheats the oven and turns the dial to 150OC, he bends over to inspect the oven.

"Oh… Is Shinomiya-senpai making me some Gratin Dauphinoise?"

"Yes, I am, Hinako." Wait. Hinako?

He turns around suddenly to notice the brown-haired chef peering right over his shoulder.

"Gah! Don't scare me like that, idiot!" Falling over due to sheer surprise, he hits the ground with a _thud_ , rubbing his butt.

At this, Hinako merely bursts into hysterics. "Gyahahahahahahahaha! Shinomiya-senpai fell on his butt, Shinomiya-senpai fell on his butt~!" She sang happily, the biggest smile adorning her face.

Shinomiya responded the only way he knew how. By grabbing her by the face and lifting her in the air.

As she flailed around in his grip, she stammered out, "S-S-S-Sorry, Shinomiya-senpai."

She kneels down on the ground once again as she clutches her temple, rubbing and massaging the side of her head. "Shinomiya-senpai's such a meanie! Always abusing and hurting me!"

"That's because you deserve it… Idiot." A vein throbbed on his forehead as he turned up the heat for the last 10 minutes of the cooking process.

Steam rose from the oven as he quickly brought the tray out of the oven. Hinako clasped her hands together and gasped.

The golden, puffed up surface combined with flecks of brown made for a mouth-watering look. Hinako wiped away a drop of drool before quickly grabbing a fork.

Shinomiya sliced out about half of the potato before setting it on the plate. Reaching over to put some foil on it, he felt something slip out from underneath him. Huh?

Looking down, he couldn't find his plate anywhere. "Pshinomiya-pshenhai, phish ish sho good!" He looked up only to see Hinako stuffing her face with the Dauphinoise.

Infuriated, he quickly swiped away the plate and grabbed Hinako by the hand to stop her from eating anymore.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?"

Whilst he was caught up in the moment, he didn't realise that he had wrapped his own coarse, large hand around Hinako's soft, delicate hand.

Both of them blinked for a moment as they noticed the position of their hands.

"Eh?" They muttered at the same time.

Immediately, they both retracted their arms and turned around, not daring to face the other. Awkward.

As red-faced as the quality tomatoes Shinomiya would use in his cooking, he fanned his face furiously, trying to force off the blush. He was freakin' Shinomiya Kojirō! He doesn't get embarrassed by girls! Hmph!

On the other hand, Hinako was rubbing the area where he had grabbed her roughly. It was by no means a gentle grip, but it was… A little cute. Her eyes were as wide as an owl's as she coughed softly. "Ahem… Uh… Okay. T-Thank you for the food, Shinomiya-senpai."

"… Don't mention it."

Hinako took that time to take her leave, silently making her way to the front door and putting her hand on the handle before she felt a familiar sensation on her shoulder sudden paralyse her to her core.

"Wait… Hinako."

Silence.

"Do… Do you want the rest of the Dauphinoise…?"

Wait, really? Can she really have the rest?

"Y-Yes, I would, Shinomiya-senpai."

He hands her the plate, still lukewarm from its time in the oven. Tenderly, she grabs a fork and slowly and delicately fills her mouth with the potato's creamy texture as well as the light milky flavour coming through on her tongue send her brain into overdrive.

So good…

Shinomiya coughs awkwardly on his hand and crosses his arms over his chest. "W-Well… I think we're good here for today. I'll finish your report with you tomorrow."

Hinako merely nods as she nibbles quietly on the potato.

Walking towards the door, plate still in hand, she walks outside into the afternoon sky, glowing from the blood orange sun.

The air is completely still as she walks from the Elite 10 office all the way to her apartment.

Meanwhile, Shinomiya collects his bags and blazer from the chair before walking out confidently. On the way, he spots Mizuhara, walking down the hallway.

"Shinomiya. Come on, let's go home. I'm done with my work for the da-Are you blushing?" She cocks her head curiously, uncertain of what to make of Shinomiya's expression.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, he immediately looks to the side and hurriedly denies her claim. "W-What? No, of course not! What are you talking about, Mizuhara? I have no clue as to what you're referring to! None at all!"

Mizuhara merely stares at him emotionlessly and blinks.

-x-

The clock is slowly ticking away as Chapelle-sensei glances over towards the final pair. The task was relatively simple. Make a batch of Madeleines. Come on, that's like entry-level cooking. Especially for an aspiring French chef such as the one currently furiously tapping his foot against the ground.

Shinomiya… Was not happy. Barking straight at Hinako, "Hinako! Where are the serving plates? I told you to go and get them 10 minutes ago!"

The meanwhile, Hinako was busy rushing around, searching for where she put them. Oh, no. She had lost them! Disaster!

"Shinomiya-senpai! I've lost them!"

At this point, Shinomiya swore loudly in French, causing Chapelle-sensei to look over a bit concerned.

"Putain! I'll get them myself!" He quickly rushes off, storming out of the room, an aura of rage leaking from his slender frame.

Poor Hinako. She had messed up in front of her senpai. In the one class that they have together with the second years, she managed to lose the serving dish. Great going, dummy.

"You know, you really think he'll be alright in the future?" Donata walks over, arms crossed and glancing down at his friend with concern. He had long since finished his batch with flying colours. But since then, he had done nothing but wait anxiously for the other two to hurry up.

Hinako can only shrug.

Instead of responding, she pulls out the Madeleines just as they finish baking to absolute, crisp perfection. Shinomiya dashes right back in, a sleek, white round plate underneath his arm.

Finally, they manage to plate up their madeleines into a neat little floral arrangement and sprinkle some sugar all over it.

10.

Finished plating up.

9.

Sprinkle some more sugar! The balance of flavours and moisture will be ruined if you don't get this right, Hinako!

8.

Okay, I think that's enough. No, you can stop now!

7.

Okay, come on, let's go!

6.

Approaching Chappelle-sensei.

5.

He doesn't look very happy. What if he doesn't like it? Making Madeleines is for amateurs… Better not screw this up.

4.

Come on…

3.

"Please judge our dish, sir."

2.

He raises his fork and nods at the duo. "Very well."

1.

Putting one inside his mouth, he chews softly and swallows, closing his eyes and contemplating the flavour.

It's the best batch of Madeleines Chapelle-sensei ever tasted.

-x-

"Well, I think it's safe to say that you cut that one a little close, guys!" Donata was heavily relieved that his friends wouldn't be getting an 'E' rating today.

"Yeah… You can say that again." Shinomiya mutters, sending a sideways glare at Hinako. Awkward.

Hinako points her fingers together and chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry about stuffing up… Heh…" Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, Shinomiya merely sighs and shakes his own head. What an idiot.

-x-

"By the power vested in me, Senzaemon Nakiri… I hereby declare you, Shinomiya Kojirō…

 _ **THE FIRST SEAT OF T**_ _ **Ō**_ _ **TSUKI'S ELITE TEN.**_ _"_

Silence swept the literal thousands watching. Whether it be in the enormous arena or on TV, or even those listening on their radio.

A second passed. And then another.

Before an eruption of applause, louder than a thunderstorm crackled and exploded into the ears of those present. The sound was louder than a thousand cannons. Men, women, children were all screaming, squealing, crying, gasping, laughing, yelling, whooping with sheer joy.

The title of Tōtsuki's Number 1 seat of the Elite Ten had finally been bestowed upon this man.

Whilst the arena around him was but a cacophony of noise and praise, the pink-haired chef could only smile very faintly. His lips tugged into the faintest of smiles as his knuckles whitened in his fist.

He had finally done it. The top of Tōtsuki. It was as if he had climbed Mount Everest to the very peak. All of those who dared to state he wouldn't make it, well… He hoped that wherever they were, that they were watching.

A complete contrast to his surrounds, he calmly smiled and allowed himself to finally exhale. Closing his eyes for a split second and opening them again, he gazed right at the sky.

With his own knife, his own skills… He had claimed one of, if not the most prestigious position in the culinary world. Little did he know, but that would be the last moment for a while where he would be able to savour that feeling of completion within his heart.

However, with a humble bow – something that didn't happen often – he glanced around to the podium set behind him and walked up on stage where Senzaemon nodded his head in recognition.

Softly, he whispered only to Shinomiya, "Well done, m'boy." At this, Shinomiya chuckled faintly and tapped the microphone once to garner the audience's attention.

Tap.

Immediate silence. What would the greatest chef at Tōtsuki's next words be? The audience was hanging on to his every movement.

"Well… I, uh… I can't even begin to express how happy I am. It's just… Wow…" A round of snickering at his stammering and shock. But honestly, who could blame him? Stammering and brain freezing at one of the most impressive moments of your life, that's only natural, right?

"One thing I do want to say is that, getting this far… It's not easy. And it's quite daunting, actually. Having the eyes of not only the entire academy but gourmands and chefs around the world eyeing your every move. I can only hope that I am able to carry on the hefty legacy my predecessors have left me."

Slowly and softly, he inhaled for a little. Trying to regain his breath.

"With that being said, there are a few people I do want to mention. They're far from perfect, but they're sure as hell the closest that they'll ever get to it."

Snickering once again. Good old Shinomiya, no mercy to anyone. Not even his closest friends.

"These people time and time again offered to lighten the burden on my back by offering a helping hand or two every so often. And for that, I thank you."

"Fuyumi Mizuhara." Polite applause.

"Donata Gotoda." More polite applause.

"Hitoshi Sekimori." Even more polite applause.

"These fine che-no… These fine friends have helped shape my career, guiding and aiding me wherever I went. For that, I am humbled." A polite bow that lasted for a mere second, but got the audience on their feet once again.

However, side stage, a brown-haired girl can only stop in her tracks. Wait. What?

W-Where's her mention? I mean, she was Shinomiya's friend, right? S-Surely… Surely, she would've been mentioned too!

Wait. Maybe he's saving it for later! Yeah, that'd be it! So, she waits. Patiently. But…

"H… He didn't mention me." She doesn't say anything else for a minute. Stammering, she falls to her knees.

However, meanwhile, Shinomiya walks off-stage, chuckling and muttering to himself, "Finally did it. Thank god that's over." The sound of his footsteps is all that can be heard, echoing in the dark hallway.

Hinako's head sudden lifts up as she notices an approaching figure. Softly, she chokes out, "S-Shinomiya-senpai…"

"Hmm…? Oh, Hinako. What's wrong? Why are you kneeling on the ground like that? Get up from the floor."

She can't. She's frozen in place. But it's not like Shinomiya-senpai would understand that.

 _It's not like he cares about you or anything._

"Oi, Hinako. Come on, we haven't got all day. Hurry up now."

No response.

"Tch." He walks off himself, smiling gently and walking out, pride in his chest rising to the top.

 _Wonder what Hinako was doing down there? Weirdo._

-x-

A day later, a buzzer rings at Hinako's door in the middle of the night.

"Geez, who could that be at this time of day? It's like 11 pm!"

She opens it softly, not wanting to disturb her neighbours only to find… No one. Just the wind blowing softly, rustling the branches and trees.

"Eh?" Looking from side to side… And there's no one. Weird.

But she glances down and sees a box… Wrapped in a towel. It's a little late for a Bento box, Hinako thought to herself.

Bringing it to her table, she has half a mind to just put it in the fridge and see what it is in the morning. But then her stomach promptly growls.

"Oh… Maybe I should take a look inside, huh."

A piece of paper with scribbled hand writing fell out of the box lid as she opened it up. Bending down, she picked it up and skimmed through it, curious as to the culprit of this little escapade. Could it be a prank?

Naw, she was the second seat of Tōtsuki. If she found out who had pranked her, The Empress of Mist, she could have them expelled.

' _Hey.'_

Hi.

' _So… How have you been? It's not like I would know… Considering you've been ignoring me for the last few days.'_

Oh. It's you.

' _I gave it some thought as to why you've been acting this way.'_

She inhaled very slowly as to prevent herself from crushing the paper.

' _And, uh… I think I know what I did.'_

Really? Go on, enlighten me then.

' _It was the ceremony, wasn't it?'_

Give this guy a cookie.

' _In that bit about my friends and thanking them… I didn't mention you. And, you probably hate me for it.'_

Oh, what gave it away?

' _For that. I'm sorry.'_

You'd better be.

' _It's just the heat of the moment, and I got my heart caught in my throat. And I was on my feet, there were so many people just expecting me to say something. But… I didn't mention you. Like I said. I'm really sorry.'_

…

' _A few minutes ago, I had a revelation.'_

Yeah, this'll be interesting.

' _You… Haven't really done much for me, have you?'_

…What?

' _Like thinking about it, it was Mizuhara who would help me out in cooking classes and Hitoshi who guided me through everything, right?'_

Well, yeah. So?

' _So, I realised that you aren't really valuable to me as a chef.'_

A single, hot tear rolled down the side of her soft cheek.

' _But as a friend… Well, there's no one else more important than you.'_

More tears. What exactly do you mean by _that_?

' _You know, Hitoshi always acted a bit distant towards me. He was welcoming, but our relationship was… Professional. No warmth or comfort. Only polite help when we needed it. Donata… He's like a sidekick to me. He'll make a fine chef one day, but as for right now, he's still taking the backseat. And Mizuhara… Well, she's just strange, full stop.'_

Hinako choked on her laughter, tears still running down her face like a stream.

' _But you… Inui Hinako… You were always different. You weren't caught up on maintaining status or reputation amongst our little rag-tag group of chefs. No matter the season, rain or shine… You smiled without a care in the world. And everything you did was just so… Passionate.'_

Her tears stopped coming out. The trails still stained her face and felt hot against her skin, but they stopped flowing.

' _I always envied you. Here we were, acting tough and powerful for the rest of the world, but you acted the one thing we never even thought of becoming. Free. I don't know, maybe you just didn't care about what others thought, or maybe you're just too dumb to notice. But you were still more graceful and more elegant than an angel.'_

She gulps and continues.

' _Then, I realised something else as well. I shouldn't have mentioned you at the ceremony.'_

Her eyes cloud over and darken to the colour of oil, the cold fury within her surfacing.

' _That ceremony… It was to celebrate me as a chef. Nothing more.'_

With white knuckles, she begins to sob once again, whining and whimpering like a dog.

' _But you don't affect me as a chef. You affect me as a friend. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.'_

Hinako manages to skim the rest of the letter before her hands act on instinct and shred the letter into confetti, then tossing it right into the fireplace. She watches, crying and sobbing in a ball in the floor as Shinomiya's apology is set alight into cinders.

' _You don't matter to the Legumes Magician or the First Seat of Tōtsuki's Elite 10… But you do matter to Shinomiya Kojirō. And I will never be able to repay the debt that I owe Hinako Inui as a friend. Never.'_

Her tears stain the carpet and her face, her eyes are puffy and bloodshot. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she rocks back and forward on the floor. Sobbing on the inside and outside.

Using her sleeves, she manages to wipe off all of the tears she's cried out during her 1 hour sob session. Finally, her attention turns towards the little blue box still resting on her table.

She opens up the lid and smiles faintly.

' _Yeah, I know. It's a Gratin Dauphinoise.'_

-x-

In Paris, Shinomiya is sitting on a lush, red velvet couch overlooking the city of Paris from his apartment building balcony. It's quite a nice feeling, the breeze ruffling his hair and a glass of Pinot Noir in his hand.

The delicate liquid sloshes around in his glass as he closes his eyes to breathe in a fresh dose of Parisian air.

It's only been a few weeks since he left Japan. Since then… He's worked in various famous restaurants, under the tutelage of very successful chefs and learnt from up close and personal the ways of French cooking.

But… He feels like something is missing. Something so blatantly obvious that he can't figure it out.

Hmm… Paris, Paris. It's the capital of France… Also known as the 'City of Love'… Oh.

Right.

That's what he's missing.

He can only however, sigh and glance at the floor. He has made a few connections in his time in France, but they were more acquaintances than anything. He needs something… More substantial. More personal.

 _Like what you had with Hinako?_

He feels as if he'd just been punched in the gut by that statement. What an awfully true thing to say.

His brain overloads with something he hasn't felt in a while. It's powerful, condemning and makes his wine taste sour. It's guilt.

All of the pent-up emotions built up over the last few months suddenly assault his mind like a wave surging on to the beach. Washing the ocean of regret all over his body. Every fibre of his being falls into a deep, dark depression.

 _Hitoshi…_

 _Donata…_

 _Mizuhara…_

 _ **Hinako…**_

He doesn't show up to work the next day.

-x-

At the airport, Shinomiya pushes his way through the other passengers, jostling and hustling people aside. Despite the complaints, they stop coming once they realise who they're yelling at.

Instead, the crowd parts with each step that the Legumes Magician takes.

Shinomiya, satisfied with this reaction, continues his walk with his head held considerably higher than what he was feeling like before.

However, when he reaches the Arrivals pick-up section, he notices a brown-haired female with blue eyes peering at the monitor, waiting for someone to come along.

With her hair worn down and her arms behind her back, she smiles and notices who she has been waiting for. She locks eyes with him for a second before they both step closer to one another, bit by bit.

Time stopped for a moment around those two. An asteroid could've hit the Earth and wiped everything else out. Shinomiya wouldn't have noticed.

After what seemed like an hour, but in reality, was about 20 seconds, Hinako was standing in front of her senpai once again.

A warm tear threatened to roll down her face, but she wiped it away on her sleeve. In a breathless voice, she whispered, "Welcome back, Shinomiya-senpai."

He only smiles and chuckles once.

Hinako grabs him by the hand and drags him out to the car park where his friends are waiting. There they cheer and shove him into the middle of the car alongside his luggage before Mizuhara speeds off and Shinomiya can do nothing but grumble about the sudden situation he had been thrusted into.

When he's not swearing at Mizuhara for going over a speed bump too quickly causing him to hit his head on the roof, he was telling stories about cooking in France and giving Donata advice on branching out.

Or at least, that is what it seemed like on the surface.

In reality, he was just distracting himself from glancing down at that golden band around Hinako's finger.

Eventually he'd get to meet him. That lucky guy who got to her first.

Turns out he was a lawyer. A pretty damn good one at that too. So, at least Hinako would be well off, right?

Didn't stop Shinomiya's heart from threatening to burst… Every time he stole a glance at that ring.

-x-

Hinako once again found herself sobbing on the floor.

"Do you really think she'll be alright? She's been like this for a solid few days. It's even going so far as to impact her cooking. She made some Onigiri for me and it wasn't as good as it normally was…" Donata whispered conspiratorially to Mizuhara behind his hand.

"I heard that Hinako used to make her ex-fiancé Onigiri all the time… Maybe that's why."

Donata nodded in understanding. _Poor thing_ , he thought as he stood from behind the doorframe.

Sudden, Hitoshi tapped them both on the shoulder. "We got Shinomiya. Come on, let's go."

Walking down the corridor of the Tōtsuki corridor, they hear rather loud voices engaged in a fierce combat.

"Can't you see the state that she's in? She's in a complete ruin!"

"I know that, Dōjima-san! But it's none of my business and I had nothing to do with it! Keep me out of this TV drama!"

"Shinomiya. I'm at my wits end here. She's sobbing in a ball on the ground and you can't muster the courage to even go in and say a few words to her?"

"Well why don't you do it if you're so keen on it, huh?"

"What, so you're not keen on helping out your best friend? You coward."

Silence.

The three who had just entered can sense the pure hatred just rolling off in waves from Shinomiya's body.

He tenses his shoulders and hunches over, his breathing becoming erratic and fast-paced.

" **What… Did you just say…** " Dōjima, on the other hand, merely stands strong and crosses his arms.

"I said why won't you help out your best friend? You know she'd definitely do the same for you if you were like that."

Shinomiya clenches his fist, digging his nails into his palms. But he can't feel the pain. He can feel the wave of guilt and shame completely envelop his body, however. Eventually his knees buckle and he finds himself on all fours. His eyes are burning and as wide as the sun.

Dōjima sighs at the damage he's done. "I'm sorry, Shinomiya. I didn't mean to go that far."

Shinomiya stands up and breathes in softly. "Fine." He mutters so softly that only himself can hear it.

He clenches his hands into fists to the point where his knuckles hurt. His breathing quickens to pace of a march. Come on, Shinomiya. Get in there. Help your best friend out of this mess she's found herself in.

As Shinomiya walks out of the room, the other chefs part and allow him to get through.

Dōjima can only sigh and pray for the best.

"Are you sure this was the best course of action, Dōjima-san?" Asks Mizuhara emotionlessly.

Sighing in response, Dōjima shakes his head. "I don't know, Mizuhara. I don't know. I'm a chef. The only miracles I can work are on the plate."

Shinomiya coolly walks up to the door and knocks politely.

"Hinako?"

The sobbing stops for a second. Then continues.

"Hinako. Come on, get up." Mentally, he scolds himself. Don't be this harsh on her. Not as if she's broken up with the love of her life or anything.

"Shinomiya-senpai… I'm sorry…" She cries harder, hiccupping occasionally.

"For what? You did nothing wrong." He walks over and bends down to pat her gently on the shoulder. He can see the tear stains in the carpet, flowing out from her face.

"I'm scaring all of you, aren't I? I'm crying by myself and making you all feel worried… All for me. How selfish of myself."

He exhales and shakes his head. "No, go ahead. It's okay. We don't mind. We're here to help, after all."

Hinako stops. "R-Really? You guys are *hic* not mad at me?"

"No. No, we're not mad at you. But we are worried for you."

Hinako sniffles and sits up slowly. She leans into him for support and unwittingly wraps her arms around his waist.

Shinomiya only looks ahead and pats her hair softly.

"Thank you, Shinomiya-senpai…"

He only shushes her and strokes her like a cat.

About 15 minutes passes where Hinako is completely silent and Shinomiya continues to comfort her. If only they could stay like that forever, he thought.

Eventually, he feels something wet on his lap. Huh? Is that… Eww, its drool! Hinako, behave yourself!

He has half a mind to slap her for being so rude, but he then realises that she's fallen asleep. Instead, he gently picks her up and carries her to her bed.

As she snores softly like a little child, Shinomiya wipes off the tear tracks and drool from her face with a nearby tissue.

Sighing, he puts his head in his hands.

However, he feels something tugging at his uniform. Muttering in her sleep, she whispers, "Shinomiya… Don't leave me again…"

He stares wide-eyed at what she had just said.

"Never… Once was enough…" She softly whispers before snoring once again.

Something hot and wet managed to roll down Shinomiya's face. A tear. "No. Never again, Hinako." He says compassionately, placing a hand on her cheek.

-x-

After returning to France, Shinomiya is back into the swing of things. Cooking, managing his restaurant and sitting on top of his balcony. Alone.

One day, he is busy recommending his 9 Vegetable Terrine to a particularly important customer before a waitress hurriedly walks up to Shinomiya.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Monsieur Shinomiya. But there's someone who insists she knows you personally and needs to speak with you urgently."

What? Who could possibly be that important? He's in the middle of serving a customer!

"SHINOMIYA-SENPAIIII! YOUR WAITRESSES ARE VERY ANNOYING!"

What? Who is that person? Who do you think you are, you piece of s…

Shinomiya practically chokes and sputters right there and then.

"H-Hinako!"

As carefree and happy as usual, she waddles right up to her senpai. "Evening! How is Shinomiya-senpai?"

Of course, she would be oblivious to the stares and awkward glances being sent her way. But Shinomiya wasn't.

A vein was threatening to pop in his forehead. "Sit down. Over there." He points towards a nice little table towards the back of the restaurant that is a bit cut off from the rest thanks to the raised walls around it. It's a bit like a private booth.

Instead, Hinako hums happily and softly to herself as Shinomiya pumps out dish after dish, each feeling better and more amazing than the last.

The best part? They're all unique. Never been tried before.

It isn't long before Hinako remembers once again why she used to love her senpai's cooking.

This time, the dishes feel different, however.

There is something driving them. Like a true purpose hidden within the layers of steamed vegetables and sensational broths. It's like a mystery. But whatever it is, it's propelling this dish to another level.

Maybe Hinako ought to find out for herself what this thing exactly is.

"So… Shinomiya-senpai… That was delicious!" She sets down her fork and wipes her mouth. Unfortunately, she misses a bit of flour off the top of an amazing Clafoutis that Shinomiya served her.

As they talk and talk about… Anything, Shinomiya finds himself more and more compelled to just… Flick that flour off. With a napkin.

"Hmm. Shinomiya-senpai? What are you doing?"

He suddenly looks down and finding himself leaning forward, a serviette in his hand.

"Huh? I was… Wait. What? What am I doing?" Glancing down at his hands, he looks extremely confused at this point. Did he blank out?

For some reason that Shinomiya is still blind to, Hinako finds this absolutely hilarious and begin to crack up, not even bothering to keep her voice level down.

"Gahahahahahahahahaha! What do you think you're doing, senpai?" She giggles behind her hand and laughs heavily.

Shinomiya's hand starts to shake and quiver. How embarrassing, to lose focus like that. In front of her, out of all people!

"Idiot! Shut up, people are looking at us, in my restaurant!" However, he can't help but sigh and let a smile of his own creep on to that usually cold and serious expression of his.

"Alright, if you're done now, I'm going to make the last dish."

Hinako begins to whine softly at the prospects of another dish to eat. "But senpai, I'm not going to be able to finish it…"

"Oh, I think you will. Trust me. And if you don't, I'll shove it down your throat anyway."

Amidst of Hinako's protests and exclamations of how violent Shinomiya can get, he walks back into the kitchen and begins to prepare the meal.

As he opens the oven and carefully pulls out the literally steaming hot tray, he smirks in triumph.

"Yes, Lucie?" He asks without even looking over his shoulder. All of his focus must be put into this last dish of his. Otherwise he'll never forgive himself.

"Chef Shinomiya, why are you baking those potatoes? I don't see an order for any dishes needing those." The blue haired butcher asks, leaning her head to the side.

"It's not for a customer."

At this Lucie looks very confused. Could it be his dinner?

"It's for my best friend."

Hinako is busy playing with her fork and twirling it around on the table cloth before Shinomiya walks back over. "Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you were, leaving me alone in this big place!" Typical Hinako, always begging for company.

Her eyes look down at the grey baking tray in Shinomiya's hands.

Immediately, her stomach begins to stir and growl softly.

"S-Senpai… Is that what I think it is?" She asks, very quietly and in an extremely delicate tone of voice.

He laughs once and nods his head.

"Yes. It's your favourite. Gratin Dauphinoise."

-x-

Shinomiya can't really remember what happened next. What he can remember is Hinako staying until after hours and offering to help out in the kitchen. Repeatedly. Being Hinako, of course she didn't organise any kind of accommodation or a place to sleep.

She was essentially going to depend on Shinomiya to give her a place to stay. Out of the kindness of his heart. Not a great plan.

But he did allow her in to his large yet comforting apartment. He couldn't deny how it felt much better having 2 people to occupy the flat instead of just one.

Somehow, Shinomiya managed to find himself pouring Hinako a glass of wine whilst she snuggled underneath some spare blankets he just happened to have lying around. So, she sighed in content with a glass of red on a Saturday evening, nestled in a red chequered pattern doona.

For the record, he did offer her the bed. But for some reason, she insisted on taking the couch. She was weird that way.

"Hey, senpai. Your dishes…" She muttered drowsily, feeling the effects of a heavy meal and alcohol in the evening.

"Your dishes… They felt… A bit better than normal…" She was drunk. There was no other way of putting it. She hadn't even finished her first glass. A sliver of drool was leaking from the side of her mouth as she lightly snored, nestling and lying down on the edge of the couch.

"H-How… Did you do it? That… Kind of cooking…"

And with that, she was out like a light.

Shinomiya blinks. That was fast. Then again, he did practically force feed her around 3-4 dishes of French cooking with that strong yet flavourful wine.

He gently moves over, careful not to disturb Hinako and strokes the side of her head lovingly, the way someone might stroke a cat.

"It's quite simple, Hinako. I was thinking about you the whole time."

-x-

The next day, Hinako shuffles around in her blankets. So warm and soft. And what's this cute little chequered pattern? She doesn't remember having one of these. Shinomiya-senpai does, though. Maybe it… Oh. That's right. She fell asleep at his place.

Oh well, doesn't matter. Groggily, she yawns and stretches quite loudly causing Shinomiya to casually yell out from the bathroom, "Oi, idiot! Keep it down!"

Hinako sighs and crosses her arms. "Senpai's really cranky in the mornings."

After Shinomiya's response of _I heard that!_ Hinako began to wash her face and straighten her hair. It had become quite frizzy overnight.

Shinomiya walks out, already sporting a collared blue shirt and dark green pants. Typical of Shinomiya to go for the cool, yet minimalist look.

Hinako pesters Shinomiya about helping out in the kitchen once again, but he time and time again turns her down. On the basis that she is simply to rowdy and free-spirited for somewhere as 'dignified' and 'established' as Shino's Paris.

Instead, she spent her days walking along the grand boulevards of Paris, stopping back in every now and then when business was a bit slower in Shinomiya's primary restaurant. Of course, Shinomiya himself attended to her dishes every time she ordered something. And of course, they were superb.

Closing time quickly flew around as customers wandered in and out of the doors, coming and going. But Hinako was the only person Shinomiya was concerned with.

The clock struck 10 just as Gao said farewell to the last customer at their restaurant. Packing her things and waving goodbye to her employer, she left amongst the other employees who all exited the building leaving 2 people behind.

Those 2 people were also preparing to leave, but of course, one was preventing them from doing so.

"I can't find my wallet! Senpai, help me!" After a furious 10-minute search until finally Hinako managed to find it in the toilet stall where she had left it, Shinomiya drove her back to his place again.

She really was a liability. But one Shinomiya was happy to take on.

He unlocked the door with a jangle of his keys as Hinako gracefully walked back into what she had dubbed her 'Palace'.

Of course, the notion was immediately shut down by Shinomiya to change the name on the deed to her own. For obvious reasons.

But nevertheless, they enjoyed the same routine again. Hinako insisting on sleeping on the couch and Shinomiya taking towards the bed after she passed out of her own accord.

The next day is in fact, Labour Day in Paris. No restaurant or any kind of business would be open unless it was urgent. Shinomiya could use the day of rest, however.

Which was fortunate, because at 3 am that evening, he woke up suddenly following a raucous sound of laughter coming from the living room. Where Hinako was sleeping.

However, instead of Hinako peacefully dozing off and breathing heavily, he found her giggling and pointing at the television at some sort of rom-com. Weird. Luckily for Hinako, there were Japanese subtitles along the bottom.

Shinomiya facepalms behind her and turns around to walk back to his bedroom before Hinako suddenly notices him.

"Senpai, come and watch this with me, it's hilarious!"

Granted, it was Hinako. Her sense of humour wasn't exactly the most mature thing on the planet. But, hey. It's a television show and he doesn't have work in the morning, what harm could it do?

Reluctantly, he shuffles towards the brown-haired Japanese chef and shoves her to the side to make room.

Hinako also does the same when he sits down and promptly rests her head on his shoulder, seeing as how that's the most comfortable and nearest thing she can use as a headrest.

So, that's how Shinomiya found himself at 3:12 am in Paris on his couch, watching rom-coms with his best friend.

Funny how things can work out.

Nevertheless, Hinako frequently pointed out funny events and provided a great running commentary on screen. She would've made a fantastic sports commentator. Though she did have a nasty habit at laughing during serious parts at someone's cheesy acting or stupid hair.

Shinomiya found this rather annoying, as one can imagine. When Hinako began to giggle and shake uncontrollably at this one-liner the main character of the show muttered incoherently, Shinomiya was so tempted to just swat her on the head.

But she was having so much fun, Shinomiya didn't want to disturb that.

He couldn't deny, Hinako definitely looked much more beautiful in this kind of light. Curled up next to him, giggling and laughing without a care.

"Oi, senpai. What are you looking at?"

Damn it, he blanked out again. He's really gotta stop that habit.

"Wha? Oh, nothing… Don't worry."

Hinako refuses to take this for an answer. He was staring right at her.

"No, tell me senpai. I wanna know!"

Maybe it's the fact that it's 3:15 am. Maybe it's something in the Scorpionfish he ate earlier. Maybe it's just the way Hinako's eyes glittered in the light of the television. Either way, Shinomiya found himself breathing rather quickly compared to normal.

Hinako's body pressing on his certainly didn't help.

"Hmm? What's wrong? You can tell me." Of course, she chooses this exact moment to clamber on to his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. Does she not realise what this pose seems to Shinomiya?

"No. It's really nothing. Don't ask."

Hinako's oddly close to his face. She moves over to get comfortable and accidentally brushes her face against his softly. Shinomiya feels that part of his skin jolt suddenly and warm up in an instant.

"Are you sure?" She insists, peering right at him.

He sighs. She wins. Simple as that. I mean, look at her! How can you resist those big, blue eyes?

"It's… It's just that I was thinking…"

"Hmm? About what, senpai?"

Moment of truth. Now or never, do or die. Come on, not everyone gets a chance as perfect as this…!

"Well… I… I-I kinda like you…"

Hinako stops creeping ever so closer.

What? No… Come on, she can't do this. Don't stop now, he just confessed to you!

Hinako sighs. Oh, god. No. Anything but this. Shinomiya bites his lip. He wishes he could take that back.

"I'm sorry, that was foolish of me. I shou-"

"Took you long enough to tell me, huh?"

Her face has gone dead serious. There is no trace of the usual happy, goofy Hinako he adores. What has he done?

"Y-You knew this whole time?"

She shrugs nonchalantly and wears a thin line for her mouth.

"Well, you were never good at hiding your feelings, senpai."

That… That was as true as true can be.

"But… Now that you've finally admitted it… I can do this."

Huh? Do what? Straddle me? You've done that for the past-

His brain ceases to function as Hinako kisses him.

Everything turns to mush. He feels nothing but the soft lips on his own.

He can't feel Hinako's arms tighten their grip around his neck. He can't feel his own hands sliding around her waist, tugging her even closer. He can't hear the sounds of the movie they were watching.

There is nothing. But her.

In this very moment, Hinako has won over Shinomiya Kojirō. The first Japanese national to win the Pluspol award has been silenced by Inui Hinako.

Needless to say, she loves every moment of it.

Shinomiya suddenly parts and jolts backwards sudden, gasping heavily. W-What just happened?

Hinako giggles in her typical fashion and leans in close once again. "You're very cute when you're flustered, senpai."

Of course, he can do nothing but submit as Hinako plants mind-numbing kiss after mind-numbing kiss on to his lips.

What was in reality 4 hours but felt like 4 seconds zipped by of pure, unadulterated bliss for Shinomiya.

Mon Dieu, what had this woman done to him?

-x-

A lot happened since then.

Thanks to her tenacity and persistence, Hinako successfully convinced Shinomiya to take a month off of work and take a 'vacation' in his homeland of Japan. This caused an immediate uproar in the French cuisine community. What kind of thing would steal Shinomiya Kojirō off of their hands?

The answer of course, was his girlfriend.

Shinomiya and Hinako initially kept their little sessions between each other in the privacy of the former's apartment. But it wasn't long before Hinako's playfulness and constant teasing forced Shinomiya to 'play' with her in more public areas.

Despite his best efforts at hiding it, Mizuhara walked in on them kissing one another in the middle of Shinomiya's bedroom. She had only come to collect her hairbrush, but left with one of the most scarring discoveries of her life. Or memorable. Either or.

Anyway, it wasn't long before the other alumnus would barge in and ask rather embarrassing questions, such as Donata's favourite: _Have you done it yet?_

This always resulted in a painful karate-chop to the head in true Shinomiya fashion.

And the answer is no, people.

Not yet.

After the banquet for the 92nd Class of Tōtsuki – otherwise known as the 'Jewels' Generation – Shinomiya found himself staring out the window of his room in the hotel, his arms wrapped around Hinako's shoulders and her hands resting on his wrists.

And as the sun droops between the mountains causing a phenomenal sunset, Hinako asks, "What shall we do for dinner?"

Being the proud person that he is, Shinomiya offers to make it for them. Hinako immediately accepts.

He finishes adding some touches to a large tray and brings it back into their room where they share a glass of Shinomiya's finest red.

Picking up her fork, she smiles happily as she winks at Shinomiya and begins to dig into the potato-y goodness of his finest Gratin Dauphinoise.

 **A/N:**

 **Hey there, thanks for reading to the end! This is a little thing I've wanted to get out for a while now. Actually, it's taken (According to Word) 616 minutes of editing time. Hopefully it was worth it!**

 **I want to just mention how this was a 'stream of consciousness' piece. So basically, I kicked off without a plan and simply just banged out words on my keyboard. Sorry if it's lacking the depth of plot and character development you were looking for.**

 **Anyway, I'm still pretty darn proud of this little brain-child of mine. If you did enjoy, R &R? Please?**

 **I don't really know what else to say, apart from once again thanks for reading and hopefully I'll bang out a few more one-shotty kinda stories. Maybe a two-shot for Rindō and Eishi, I dunno.**

 **Actually, that does sound kinda cool.**

 **See you around!  
SecondComing02**

 **P.S:**

 **La Contact D'Amour is literally the 'The Touch of Love' and Mon Dieu means 'My god!'**

 **Though, I do wanna point out I only study French in school. I am not in any way good at French. Any people who speak French, feel free to correct me!**


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